Scott Brown has responded to criticism from Celtic fans aimed at Callum McGregor.
In a season of inconsistent performances for the team, the captain has faced as much scrutiny as any player given his ever-present role in the starting XI.
Accusations often levelled at McGregor range from negative passing, lack of natural leadership and lack of physicality.
But Brown knows exactly what a Celtic captain looks like – and he simply isn’t having it.
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Scott Brown defends Celtic’s ‘main man’ Callum McGregor
Brown told the Daily Record: “I’ve been there myself and it’s true that the captain can become an easy target.
“Trust me, it won’t be long before people are saying, ‘his legs are gone,’ and then the next week he’ll be brilliant again and people will say, ‘The guy’s legs are unbelievable!’
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“Look, everyone has a right to voice their own opinion but some people just jump on the bandwagon, whether it’s on social media or some podcast. That’s what they do.
“But I’m telling you now, never write Cal off because he’s the main man and he keeps that club ticking. He keeps the team together on the pitch and he’s the driving force off it.”
“His mentality is next to none – he wants to play every game whether he’s injured or not. He’ll fight for the cause, for the good of the football club, rather than worrying about what’s best for himself.
“What does that show? That shows a leader. That shows someone who is willing to go the extra yard and give everything he’s got for the jersey and for the club.
“He was the exact same even when I was there. There were times when he maybe wasn’t fully fit but he would still make himself available.
“That’s what you want from a team-mate – you need your best players out there on the park for as long as they can be.
“Obviously he didn’t last the whole game on Saturday, but even if you get 60 or 70 minutes out of him then you can try to get the game won in that time.
“You’ve got to remember Arne Engels has had injury issues as well but Cal’s the one who is there – even though he’s injured, he still makes himself available.
“That shows his will to go that extra yard more than anyone else.”
Does McGregor need to be more vocal as a captain?
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Is criticism of Celtic’s Callum McGregor misplaced?
If you were to draw up a list of problems at Celtic currently, the status of McGregor certainly wouldn’t be at the top.
The team’s quality has fallen off a cliff over a fairly rapid period. The goals of Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah simply haven’t been replaced.
Mentioning of Celtic’s Champions League performance in Munich has become cliched at this point, but it is still worth mentioning that McGregor played a central role in it.
So while it may be justified to some extent, in the current set of circumstances, the criticism is misplaced.
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